Pirates Following One Peach Of A Season

August 25, 1992|By MIKE HOLTZCLAW Daily Press

GREENVILLE, N.C. — One year later, the East Carolina Pirates are trying to capture lightning in a bottle again.

The 1991 season was a dream -after losing the opener to Illinois, the Pirates reeled off 10 consecutive victories and capped the season with a stunning, come-from-behind 37-34 victory over North Carolina State in the Peach Bowl.

As the 1992 ``What Will They Do For An Encore'' season approaches, the Pirates are without 12 starters from last season. Five players were drafted by the NFL, including quarterback Jeff Blake, who set 32 school records last season.

And on the team's media day, all anyone wanted to talk about were the departed heroes.

``Probably 95 percent of the questions were about how to replace Jeff Blake, how to replace Dion Johnson, how to replace Luke Fisher, all that stuff,'' said senior Sean McConnell, who along with sophomore Michael Anderson will try to follow Blake at quarterback. ``But the bottom line is that 1991-92 is gone. We have to let it go. Everyone still wants to come up and congratulate us on the Peach Bowl, and that's fine. But this isn't the Peach Bowl. This is 1992.''

Along with all the new faces in the starting lineup, the Pirates have a new head coach. Steve Logan, last year's offensive coordinator, takes over for Bill Lewis, who left for Georgia Tech.

Logan, like his players, is working hard to shift the focus from last year's success onto this year's team.

``We're going to put a very, very competitive team on the field,'' Logan said. ``I really believe it. We're going to be young, but we're going to be talented. If somebody's going to get licks in on us, they better get them in early.''

The foundation of the '92 team will be built upon an experienced offensive line and a rapidly improving defense.

Senior offensive tackle Nick Wilson said the players stepping up to replace last year's seniors will be up to the task.

``What made a great season last year is that we had juniors and sophomores and freshmen who had good years, too,'' Wilson said. ``A lot of people thought it was a fluke last year. The seniors this year are out to prove that it was not a fluke.''

Of all the players moving into starting roles, none will face the amount of attention being heaped on McConnell and Anderson at quarterback.

McConnell said he learned a lot from working with Blake. He said he will be confident working behind an experienced offensive line, led by Wilson and Tom Scott at the tackles.

``Jeff had the same guys in front of him,'' McConnell said. ``Not taking anything away from him, but if doesn't have that protection and that knowledge in front of him, he doesn't have the kind of year he had last season. Now I've got the same guys in front of me. That's a big confidence booster.''

SCHEDULE

Sept. 5 - vs. Syracuse, 7 p.m.

Sept. 12 - vs. Virginia Tech, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 19 - at South Carolina.

Sept. 26 - at Bowling Green.

Oct. 10 - at Duke.

Oct. 17 - vs. Cincinnati, 2 p.m. (homecoming).

Oct. 24 - at Pitt.

Oct. 29 - vs. Southern Miss, 8 p.m. (ESPN).

Nov. 7 - at West Virginia.

Nov. 14 - vs. Arkansas State, 1:30 p.m..

Nov. 21 - at Memphis State.

AT A GLANCE

* COACH: Steve Logan (1st year as Division I head coach).

* LAST YEAR: 11-1, defeated North Carolina State 37-34 in the Peach Bowl.

* OFFENSIVE ANALYSIS: The Pirates must replace several key players from last year, most notably quarterback Jeff Blake. Two players - senior Sean McConnell and sophomore Michael Anderson - will both see time at quarterback. The Pirates will be young on offense, at times only putting two seniors on the field, but a strong offensive line will give the young backfield time to develop. Hicks and Letcher, both junior college transfers, will bolster an already solid receiving corps for Anderson and McConnell to throw to.

* DEFENSIVE ANALYSIS: East Carolina forced a lot of turnovers last season, but the Pirates also gave up too many yards to opposing offenses. Defensive coordinator Chris Thurmond has scaled down the complex defensive scheme from a year ago, and the players have responded well. The linebacking crew, led by Dillon, should be powerful, and the secondary will be tough. The Pirates' defense is much improved over last year.

* SPECIAL TEAM ANALYSIS: The Pirates return strong-legged kicker Anthony Brenner but must replace punter John Jett, who averaged 42.2 yards last season. Letcher will handle most of the return work.